Melissa Leo revealed that winning an Academy Award didn’t provide her with the career boost many would expect.
The star, 65, won an Oscar in the Supporting Actress category in 2011, for her role in David O. Russell’s boxing drama The Fighter, which starred Mark Wahlberg, Amy Adams and Christian Bale.
‘Winning an Oscar has not been good for me or my career,’ she candidly shared in a new interview with The Guardian.
‘I didn’t dream of it, I never wanted it, and I had a much better career before I won,’ Leo added, as she joined the ranks of actors who’ve previously expressed frustration with a phenomenon known as ‘the Oscar curse.’
Leo also hit out at Hollywood for typecasting her. Following her portrayal of the tough and domineering matriarch Alice Ward in the biographical sports drama, Leo found herself pigeonholed, receiving only offers to play ‘older, nasty women.’
‘I don’t want to do that anymore,’ she stated.
Melissa Leo, 65, revealed that winning an Academy Award didn’t provide her with the career boost many would expect; Pictured accepting her Oscar at the 83rd Academy Awards in 2011
The star won an Oscar in the Supporting Actress category for her role as domineering matriarch Alice Ward in David O. Russell’s biographical boxing drama The Fighter; Seen in a still
While discussing how she picks her projects, Leo suggested that she was unhappy with the roles she was offered after winning an Oscar.
‘My work chooses me,’ she said. ‘I’m happy to play what I’m offered – apart from after The Fighter, when all I was offered was older, nasty women.’
After a fan inquired how she got into the role of Alice — the real-life mother and manager of boxers Micky Ward (played by Wahlberg) and Dicky Eklund (played by Bale) — she shared how despite their differences, she found her path to becoming the character.
‘I accepted because David [O Russell, director] really, really wanted me to be his Alice,’ she explained.
‘Then I met the real Alice Ward, who came from a very different socioeconomic background than my mother’s mother, but there was something of my mother’s mother in her, so that’s where I found a path towards becoming her.’
‘I was no more than 10 years older than the majority of the nine people who played Alice’s children, but that’s movies for you,’ Leo added.
The Fighter is a gritty biographical drama following Micky’s struggle as a boxer as he navigates his dysfunctional family dynamics and his brother’s addiction to earn a shot at a world title.
Aside from an Oscar, the role of the working class momager also earned Leo a Golden Globe, a SAG Award, and a Critics’ Choice Award.
‘Winning an Oscar has not been good for me or my career. I didn’t dream of it, I never wanted it, and I had a much better career before I won,’ she candidly told The Guardian; Seen in 2011
She also hit out at Hollywood for typecasting her. After playing tough and domineering matriarch Alice Ward in the biographical sports drama, Leo found herself pigeonholed, receiving only offers to play ‘older, nasty women’; Seen in 2011
‘I was no more than 10 years older than the majority of the nine people who played Alice’s children, but that’s movies for you,’ Leo shared in the interview; Seen in a still
The Fighter also starred Mark Wahlberg as boxer Micky Ward, Amy Adams as his girlfriend, and Christian Bale as his brother Dicky Eklund; Leo, Wahlberg and Bale seen in a still
Leo’s co-star, Bale, also won the Best Supporting Actor Oscar for his role as Dicky in the film.
As for Leo’s future roles, the star revealed she is ‘dying’ to play a princess or queen.
‘I want lovely fancy costumes, maybe from another period. Years ago, I made a film called A Time of Destiny, which was set in the 40s.’
She added that ‘not all actors can fit in period pieces because they feel too modern, but I can play goodies and baddies – past, present and future.’
Speaking of the moment she became an Oscar winner, the actress shared, ‘One loses one’s mind.’
‘I had won a lot of prestigious awards for The Fighter that season, and sat in that great gigantic theatre thinking: “Well, it certainly is possible.”‘
The star added that all she was thinking about was meeting presenter Kirk Douglas. ‘Every single actor, director and producer you recognize, is staring you in the face.’
‘I then cursed, and I’m still sorry I cursed. I f*****g curse all the time, but you cannot curse on network television. Thank God for the 10-second delay, which was introduced for f*****g idiots like me.’
Leo most recently starred in the 2025 action comedy Guns Up, alongside Kevin James and Christina Ricci.
Her other notable films include Frozen River (2008), Louie (2012), Prisoners (2013), and Conviction (2010). She also starred as Detective Sergeant Kay Howard in Homicide: Life on the Street (1993–1997) and Toni Bernette in Treme (2010–2013).
Leo’s co-star, Bale, also won the Best Supporting Actor Oscar for his role as Dicky in the film; Pictured receiving his award
Leo is not the first star who has expressed her grievances after winning an Oscar.
Though winning the award is considered the pinnacle of achievement for actors, it can surprisingly have the opposite effect on their professional trajectory.
The paradoxical phenomenon is so frequent, it even has a name – ‘the Oscar curse.’
The ‘curse’ has a few potential reasons, with some arguing that the public’s perception of an Oscar winner creates unrealistically high expectations, ultimately leading to fewer job offers.
The intense media attention following an Oscar win can also sometimes result in over-exposure, and diminish public interest.
